The Eternal MA Question

[Jarndyce]

Hey guys! I'm a long time reader on grad cafe, but this is my first time posting.

I graduated with my BA in English from a small university in the Philly suburbs last May, then took a gap year before applying to grad programs. Even though I graduated with a 4.0 and scored well on the GRE, I opted to look at funded MA programs because I was unsure how I wanted to specialise.

I was accepted to both programs I applied to, one for a state school ranked in the 50s that waitlisted me for "competitive funding," and one for a state school ranked in the 100s, but that offered me full funding for two years with teaching both years. So I know I should be thrilled, but of course now my anxiety is kicking into full gear.

I apologize if this is beating a dead horse, but I'm just concerned whether getting my MA from such a low ranked state school is going to hurt my applications to PhD programs. I'm not really looking to go to an Ivy; my dream school is a well-ranked state school with good placement rates. But I'm fully aware of how cutthroat this process is, and I'm just worried that going to a less prestigious master's will shut me out of even those programs.

Any feedback is helpful. My fiancee is growing weary of listening to my self pity

[ChuckCL]

Slightly different field (Romance Literature/Language), but here's my experience:

 

Twos BA from a mid-ranked university. One in English literature and the other in linguistics. I decided to switch to RLL after I graduated, and I did a fully-funded MA in a very good but basically unranked program (large state school, terminal MA). The MA was two years with teaching in both years. I applied this cycle for PhDs and I'm deciding between two competitive offers at two very good schools (one Ivy and one in the top 10). 

 

My point: My random, horribly ranked MA was EXTREMELY helpful. I got a lot of great teaching experience, and I was able to spend some time figuring out how I wanted to specialize. When I applied this cycle, I felt so much more confident writing my sample and my SOP because I have a very good idea of what my dissertation project will look like. During my MA, I did a certificate in a related but unusual field, which appears to have set me apart (several faculty members during Welcome Weekend visits have referenced my certificate). I also got really good letters of recommendation (at least, the admissions committees at the schools I'm being admitted to suggest they're good letters), which is easier to do in an MA with small seminar-style classes than it is in a BA.

 

That all sounds very "Oh, look at me!", but I'm detailing that to suggest that there's a LOT you can do during an MA that will help for PhD applications. 

 

Remember that so much about the application process is about finding a good fit (a lot of people on the results page seem to forget this). If/when you do your MA, spend your time exploring subjects and when you find your niche, figure out where that work is being done. Apply to those schools. It's a huge waste of money to apply to School X just because it's an amazing school (I'm sick of seeing people say "I applied to Stanford even though it's not a great fit"). The MA will allow you to figure out what your contribution to the field will be, and you'll be able to figure out where that work is being done. 

 

So, I guess the summary is that I don't think a low-ranked MA is a bad idea, especially if it's fully funded with teaching experience (I'm hugely opposed to paying for a Humanities degree). 

Edited February 26, 2015 by ChuckCL

[Wonton Soup]

Most of the people who are worried about school status and exclusive, elitist adcoms seem to be in literature. If you're not in lit, don't worry about it.

 

If you are in lit, I defer to other people's advice =)

Edited February 26, 2015 by Wonton Soup

[ProfLorax]

I don't even know if the rankings apply to MA programs? Regardless, the consensus here seems to be that in the case of MA's, funding > ranking in terms of pretty much everything. That being said, it's early: why not wait to see if the "competitive funding" comes through? If it does, you can choose between the two programs based on coursework, faculty, PhD placement rates, professional development opportunities, location, and department culture.

[babelcopter]

I did an MA at an unranked large state school after doing a BA at a fairly highly ranked state school. I'm suuuuuch a better applicant now. It was funded by teaching, which was a great experience, but the number one thing I'll say is that you just need to avoid getting comfortable in the department. It's only two years, so attend conferences, submit papers for publication, apply for awards and grants and so on. If you really get after the professionalization and scholarship sides of it, it'll make you a way better candidate for PhD programs than you ever were straight out of BA.

[Jarndyce]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! To answer your question ProfLorax, my issues with the slightly higher ranked school were two fold. First, I'm not only waitlisted for funding, but the letter seemed to imply that even if I get funded for year 1, it's not guaranteed for year two. Second, I have relatives by the other school, so my heart is there more. ( At the same time, this contributed to me worrying that I chose the school for emotional reasons).

Related to your question Wonton (I also posted this in the rhet/comp thread, but I might as well share it here too): I applied for the MA in literature because I always assumed I was going to want to study literature. But over the past couple of days I've been looking into rhet/comp, and thinking that I may want to purse that for a PhD. Is the MA in Literature going to be a waste of time if I end up in rhet/comp? Will I even be able figure out what I'd want to study in that field?

Thanks again guys! Already feeling better

[Wonton Soup]

I think it is not uncommon for people to switch over to rhet/comp after doing a lit MA. I know a couple professors and several graduate students who did it. However, all of the people that I know who did this got their MA at a university with a reasonably healthy rhet/comp program alongside the lit program. The exposure helps. So if you end up doing a lit MA at an Ivy League, for example (which typically don't have rhet/comp programs), then the switch will be hard. 

Edited February 26, 2015 by Wonton Soup

[Jarndyce]

Luckily my school offers both an MA and a PhD in Rhetoric/Composition. They also offer a certificate in teaching composition, but when I contacted the program director he said it wasn't rally feasible to finish the MA and that certificate in two years. That said, because I'll be a TA, I will have to take teaching composition. I'll also have one free elective, which could be a rhet/comp course. This is all very helpful, I'm feeling much less dreadful

[ChuckCL]

Your director obviously knows better than me, but don't dismiss the possibility of a certificate right off the bat. My certificate was 10 credit hours, but I was able to do it while also teaching a 2:2 load. Granted, my MA had comp exams instead of a thesis, so I wasn't working on that.